Elphinstone Bridge, Adyar : Bridges of Colonial Madras

Elphinstone Bridge (Old) and Thiru Vi Ka Bridge (New) across Adyar River, Chennai (Source: The Hindu)

Elphinstone Bridge Covered with Slab

Elphinstone Bridge Beneath the Concrete Slab

View from Elphinstone Bridge: Whale Island, skyscraper buildings and the Adyar river

View from Elphinstone Bridge, Adyar: Whale Island, skyscraper buildings and the Adyar river

Tunnel Below the Elphinstone Bridge

Elphinstone Bridge is  one of the oldest bridges of Colonial Madras built across the Adyar River  in 1840. This bridge is named after John Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone and 1st Baron Elphinstone GCB GCH PC (1807 – 1860) John Elphinstone (13th Lord Elphinstone), the Governor of Madras (from 1837 to 1842). The age of the bridge is 174 years and it was connecting Adyar and Foreshore Estate. The heavy flood in Adyar washed away the heavy columns of the Elphinstone bridge and damaged the bridge from active use and the bridge was not found suitable to withstand heavy vehicular traffic. Hence  the historical bridge was closed for traffic and currently not in use. The new Thiru Vi.Ka bridge  (aka Adyar Bridge) measuring about 1025 ft (312.42 meter) long with three-lanes has been built  next to the old bridge at a cost of Rs. 58 lakh  and it was thrown open to the public in October 1973. The new bridge was named after the Tamil Scholar and freedom fighter Thiru Vi Kalyanasundaranar.

The sewer and water pipelines run across the 11-metre (36 feet) wide Elphinstone bridge and therefore entire stretch of the bridge is covered fully with concrete slabs. The actual Elphinstone bridge lies below this concrete slab and the pedestrians use this bridge to walk across the river. To encourage  pedestrians a flight of stairs is located on either side of the bridge.

It is learned that some anti-social elements take advantage to get into the bottom space of the bridge using the gap between the steps and misuse it. To discourage anti-social elements and to encourage bird watchers, bird-watching point with the green garden are being planned under phase II of restoration of the Adyar river estuary. The 58 acres phase I have been already implemented.

Reference

173-year-old Elphinstone Bridge gets a makeover. Deepa H. Ramakrishnan The Hindu Chennai  January 13, 2013

Maraimalai Adigal Bridge (Marmalong Bridge (1726-28): Bridges of Colonial Madras

Maraimalai Adigal Bridge (aka Marmalong Bridge), Adyar river, Saidapet (1726-28)

Plaque Commemorating the  construction of Marmalong Bridge by Coja Petrus Uscan (multinlingual inscriptions in Persian, Latin and Armenian)

The Maraimalai Adigal Bridge (previously the Marmalong Bridge) is one of oldest bridge in Chennai. It connects the northern banks of the Adyar river with the south. This bridge was originally built in 1726-28 at the cost of Rs. one lakh by the Armenian merchant, Coja Petrus Uscan. The merchant came to Madras in 1724 and built it by using his own money. The bridge was named after the nearby village of Mambalam which was Anglicized to Marmalan or Marmalong.

The dilapidated old bridge was replaced by a new one in the year 1966 built as part of the reconstruction and modernization efforts. Reconstructed in 1966 with prestressed concrete beams and slabs. Length of the bridge 770 ft. 12 spans of 60 ft. (average). Width of carriageway 81 ft. Width of footpath 10 ft. each. Cost of construction 42.5 lakh. The new bridge is named after Maraimalai Adigal, Tamil writer and proponent of the Pure Tamil movement.

Uscan's construction of the bridge is commemorated by a plaque at the northern end of the bridge adjoining the Saidapet bus stand. The Armenian merchant also constructed the steps which led to the historical National Catholic shrine atop St Thomas Mount in 1726. There is also a plaque commemorating Uscan's legacy.

Napier Bridge

Napier Bridge is one of Chennai’s oldest tied-arch structural bridge, built over the Coovum River connecting Fort St. George with the Marina beach in Chennai (Madras), India. This bridge, regarded as an architectural marvel, was built in 1869 by Francis Napier, then Governor of Madras (1866 – 1872).

This was earlier a narrow bridge, later it was broadened and converted to a concrete structure in July 1943 by Arthur Hope. The Government of Tamil Nadu also built , a new bridge was built in 1999 with a 10.5 m-wide carriageway on the western side.

The bridge is 138 m long with 6 spans (bowstrings) across the river near its mouth. It has 2-m wide footpaths.

The beauty of this bridge is, you can watch both sunrise at Marina beach and one can see the sunset too from either end of the bridge. sunrise from bay of Bengal and sunset from the Coovum river.